UC Davis is Flooding Farms to Restore Groundwater

UC Davis professors Ken Shackel and Helen Dahlke are working with California almond grower Nick Blom to replenish underground aquifers. Ken Shackel is in the Department of Plant Sciences; Helen Dahlke is in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.

UC Davis Professor Ken Shackel, almond grower Nick Blom, and Professor Helen Dahlke are working together to replenish a California aquifer. (photo: Ann Filmer, UC Davis)Water from the nearby canal is pumped up and released into the almond orchard. (photo: Ann Filmer, UC Davis)Pumped water is moving up into the orchard, then flows out across the orchard surface. The water will move down into the underlying aquifer. (photo: Ann Filmer, UC Davis)The almond orchard will be flooded to a depth of about six inches. The water will move down through the ground within a couple of days. (photo: Ann Filmer, UC Davis)